See&Do

See&Do

Islands of Incheon

Islands of Incheon

'Masterpiece Road' Trekking in Daecheongdo Island:

Boost Your Success Energy and Love Energy

The trekking course of Daecheongdo Island starts in Dongnae-dong and continues to the summit of Samgaksan Mountain. It is a perfect trekking course to re-energize urbanites who are suffering from chronic stress.
Daecheongdo (literally "a big dark blue island") is named so because the color of dense forest of the island a dark blue when seen from a distance.

Mt. Samgaksan in Daecheongdo Island is the highest peak among the five islands closest to North Korea in the West Sea. The mountain has a hiking trail called Masterpiece Trail which is composed of Love Energy Trail and Success Energy Trail.
On the Road to Success Energy Trail!

The entrance to Success Energy Trail is flanked by reed flowers, a sure sign of autumn. From spring to summer, the trail is full of flowers including sweetbriers, the symbol of Ongjin-gun. Daecheongdo Island is blessed with tremendous natural beauty.

Yet since it is not far from the DMZ, one can easily spot landmine warning signs here and there.

Satandong Beach is surrounded by big shore pine trees. So is Moraeul Beach with its numerous pine trees emitting a great deal of phytoncide for vacationers. The pine trees are native to Korea. Barks are splitting on the trees that have endured the strong wind from the sea for decades. The trees are also called 'giraffe pine trees' by locals for their height.

They block strong winds for hikers along the trail that was naturally made a long time ago.A signboard along the trail says, "You have recharged your success energy by 30% thus far."
Hornbeams are the major tree in Samgaksan Mountain. Big red pine trees dot the mountain.
Quite a proportion of the trail gets covered with the leaves of hornbeams and other plants that rustle under hikers' feet in autumn, which adds to the pleasure of hiking along the course.

This is the scene of Jiduri Beach seen from near the summit of the mountain. Samgaksan is so named as it resembles a triangle ('samgak' means a triangle and 'san' means a mountain). To the south of the mountain are Moraeul Beach, Seopungbaji Cliff and Dokbawi Rock. To the east are Goju-dong, Seonjin-dong and Seonjinpo Quay. To the north are Miadong Beach, Nongyeo Beach, Okjuk Quay and a sand desert. To the west is Jiduri Beach.

There is a pavilion for hikers to take rest. The trail is so far quite appropriate - not too rough, not too high.
From the pavilion, you can see Seonae-dong to the left and Yangji-dong to the right as well as the open sea in front of the villages.

Take a rest there before you go on towards the peak of the mountain.
You have finished the trekking just by 70 percent, a signboard says. Samgaksan is 343 meters high. The Success Trail starts at Seonjin Port and the Love Trail begins at the Northernmost Population of Common Camellias.

On the last stretch to the peak, I met Eulalia and other autumn flowers.

Walking along the grassland where autumn has already fallen, I wiped the sweat on my forehead speaking to myself, "I will definitely go on to finish up my trekking and recharge my success energy to the fullest at the peak of Mt. Samgaksan."
I had to climb a rough course..
almost natural
with some wooden stairs and safety lines.
I was able to enjoy fantastic views from time to time. I finally reached the peak.

From the peak, I could see Socheongdo Island which looked like a sitting hippopotamus. The island is 2.9 square kilometers or about one-fifth of Daecheongdo Island.
On the opposite side, I saw Baengnyeongdo Island that is much larger than Daecheongdo Island.

I did not rush and finished my climb to the mountain peak in three hours. At the peak, I felt that I got success energy and love energy refueled while enjoying a magnificent view.

I enjoyed the trekking course along the Samgaksan Masterpiece Trail very much. It is eco-friendly unlike many other courses in the country. The course allows hikers to enjoy breathtaking cliffs along the shore and wide open ocean views from a number of locations. It is far from being monotonous. Finally, signboards along the trail are extremely creative and effective, further enhancing the attraction of the trail.

Be sure to pack snacks and water before setting out on the hike. Once you have departed from a village on the shore, they are no longer available anywhere along the trail.